For years, popular public address announcer and Randolph County Board of Education chair Tommy McDonald has led fans in a brief prayer before football games at Randleman High School.
Friday night, he had to pause for reflection.
Someone — McDonald doesn’t know who — sent him an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) publication that defines the American judicial system’s attitude toward religious observations in public settings, including prayer before school sporting events.
McDonald said he spoke with county school attorney, Jill Wilson, earlier in the week about the pre-game prayer. He said Wilson advised him to seriously consider the consequences.
“She said these people (ACLU members) are pretty serious about what they do,” he said, adding Wilson pointed out the ACLU might sue both him and the county school system if he prayed.
McDonald said he spoke with Coach Shane Handy, who coaches RHS football. He said he struggled to decide what he should do since receiving the booklet on Tuesday when the county school board held an all-day work session and regular meeting at Pinewood Country Club. He didn’t know Friday if any other school board member had received a copy of the ACLU publication.
At 6:45 p.m. Friday, before the game between the Randleman Tigers and the Southwestern Randolph Cougars was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., McDonald said he still wasn’t sure what he would do.
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